The snow is melting at last, so it is back to our crazy life here in the Jones household.  For us that means basketball and after school band will keep us running for a few more weeks, before soccer kicks off (no pun intended) in March.  With four children there is always something going on!

It’s easy to feel pressure to get a good meal on the table after an evening of practice or a game.  Often I find myself wanting to grab a bite out which is such a simple solution.  For a family of six, that becomes pricey, and we live in an area that is running over with fast food with place to grab veggies and lean meats.  One of my goals for this year was to try harder to put forth more effort at home for dinner, even if it is served late.  Crock-pots filled with a good roast and veggies or a slow simmered soup make great options for these nights.  I also love to fix breakfast for supper.  There is something about pancakes at night that is so good!

But, honestly there is only so much you can put in a crock-pot or so many nights you can fix breakfast before everyone is begging for a change, so I have been looking for other options that won’t keep me cooking until 9:00 each night!  This is where all of those back-issues of Food & Wine and Cooking Light magazines really come in handy.

Recently I found a fabulous recipe in Food & Wine for a quick chicken dish, Honey-Chile Chicken, that really spiced up our supper.  I changed it up just a little because we really like our spicy flavors and served a supper well worth the wait.

1) Setting your oven rack to the middle, preheat the broiler on high.  In a large bowl, toss the chicken thighs, olive oil, salt and pepper together until coated thoroughly.  Arrange the thighs on a broiler pan and broil about 45-50 minutes, turning once, until the chicken is crisp and cooked through.

2) In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar and red pepper flakes, simmering about a minute.  Let cool, then whisk in the honey and soy sauce.

3) In a bowl, gently toss the cooked chicken in the sauce until coated through.  Garnish with the sliced green onions.

I served our chicken with steamed, brown rice and a salad topped with ginger dressing.  I even made a little extra of the honey-chile sauce which my kids poured over their rice.  I had supper on the table in less than an hour, which was my goal.

With basketball season in full swing and March Madness just weeks away, this would be a great game-day snack; just use chicken drumettes instead of the thighs!  As spring activities pick up for our family, I hope to add more quick, yet delicious recipes to my weekly meal-planning and completely cut out eating in the drive-thru.